Today's picks for civic nerds.

Scientist James Balog set out to chronicle climate change in the Arctic with time-lapse cameras capturing the melting of ice. Chasing Ice, a 2012 documentary, follows Balog and his crew as they gather footage to prove that global warming is happening, and is a problem.

The Common Good Cafe will be screening the film, and UW Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Mike Wallace, will lead a discussion on weather, climate, and what we can do.

Solid Ground is celebrating 40 years of fighting poverty and racism in Seattle with an anniversary lunch featuring Spike Lee, director and writer of Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X—who stirred up controversy most recently with his incendiary comments about gentrification in Brooklyn—as the keynote speaker.

Lee's films often explore race and the effects of racism in society, with specific takes on the discrimination that takes place in Hollywood and the media.

Registration is closed but you can call 206-694-6819 to get on the waitlist.

In case you forgot this was coming: "Seattle's unique neighborhoods are what makes this city special," said Ed Murray in a February press release announcing his neighborhood summit. “I want to build strong relationships with the leaders of these neighborhoods and community members and keep an open dialogue as well as build an administration where no one has to ask for a space at the table.”

The summit is intended to be an opportunity to talk with neighborhood representatives about improving the city in a way that benefits all neighborhoods. One of Mayor Murray's first-100-days-in-office priorities, the summit will surely continue the Seattle trend of lengthy group discussion on a topic—but it just might lead to some city improvement as well.

Author Doug Fine wants to talk about more than just legal marijuana use—he wants to talk about the possibilities of hemp.

Coming from the same plant as marijuana, hemp has the potential to be the "next cash crop", Fine argues. His latest book, Hemp Bound: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Next Agricultural Revolution, argues that hemp could be the next big thing in alternative fuel options, farming, and more.